SPRUE CUTTERS UNION #39 - RESTRAINED PLANNING, IT'S ALL ABOUT BALANCE

Tamiya Ducati 916 - An Exercise in Restrained Planning

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- Restrained planning, it’s all about balance -

By balance, I mean being realistic about how much time and money can be put into a build as the ultimate goal is getting something finished and on the shelf. I usually plan out how many ‘must have’ details I want to include into the build and then when it comes to sub-assemblies I’ll make a call whether a certain area deserves any added attention. For example for some car kit builds, I’ll add PE bolt heads on the chassis, on other builds I’ll leave em out as the subject matter doesn’t captivate me as much as others. As for the must haves, if available, the disc brakes will get the PE treatment, include seat belts, and the wheels will be treated to machined air valves. Some of these details are minute but I feel the addition of them can really elevate the finished build. At time even to the same level as if I had added every nut and bolt. 

Also, because every build is a learning experience, it doesn’t mean that I can’t build the same kit twice and add that much more detail on the next one. An example of this would be the PL Refit. On the first build (which is currently on the bench) my goal is to focus on getting everything aligned, getting that translucent paint finish right and making a suitable stand for it. Having those main things down, I would consider adding lighting to a second build, which is a whole different monster. I find that this way, there’s less chance that I’ll reach that tipping point where I put the project on hold because it just became too big of an undertaking.

There’s also considering the budget. I’m not one to get every PE or resin set for a particular kit but if I have one of Tamiya’s Corsair kits in 1/32 on the bench then yeah, I’ll invest in some placard decals by Barracuda Studios or some aftermarket seat belts. But getting Eduard’s multi-sheet PE set would not be my go to as the detail supplied in the kit is pretty good as is, with any added detail required could be done via scratch-building. But I won’t spend the same amount as the kit on aftermarket accessories.

- If there is something I’m unsure of i’ll tackle it later on in the build -

Sometimes, I’ll be a little unsure of how to pursue or take on a certain aspect of a build. I’ve been on/off a Ducati 916 build for the last 9 years. One of the holds-ups was getting the mufflers to resemble a pair of Termignoni carbon units. When I first began building the kit I had zero skills with CF decals nor the know-how of re-chroming parts or where to get the Termignoni decals. Now, the skills and the supplies are within reach and I am hoping this will be my next completed build. 

- There are some things I like to tackle first -

When it comes to planning, there are some things that I like to tackle first. If the subject is automotive then the body pieces will get worked on first as the finish needs a good amount of time to cure properly. On other builds, I’ll concentrate of the larger sub-assemblies first, such as the wings of an aircraft or the saucer of a starship. Seeing either of these steps through helps me keep the momentum of the build strong. 

- Try something new -

It is also important for me to try something new with every build. For the Mercedes 300SL build, now that I have pretty good experience with laying down colour and getting the finish i want, my goal is to try metallic pigments on the engine block. I think this method will complement the era of the vehicle nicely and add a suitable level of patina to the engine bay. 

Happy building (and planning) folks :)

_pL

SPRUE CUTTERS UNION #38 – WHAT INFLUENCES YOUR STASH

ONE OF THE JEWELS OF MY COLELCTION: FINEMOLDS INCREDIBLE 1/72 MILLENNIUM FALCON

A considerable part of my stash is the result of supply vs demand. I’ve cut out emotional spending… you know, work life getting you bummed or you didn’t make it to the butchers on time, so you open the wallet for some new plastic to fill that empty black hole. And I’m not one to buy the cheapest kit, usually meaning very old, as they’re not usually the extra effort to bring them up to modern standards. Though the last couple of years, it’s been the former. Case in point would be the Star Wars kits by FineMolds. I knew the license was going to be transferred to another company and whatever stock was left was it. Any time wasted would mean purchasing them at a premium. So, I picked up as many as I could tuck away (more like hide from the missus). And when the 1/72 MF was re-leased a 3rd time, I clicked ‘add to cart’ without any hesitation. 

‘So, I picked up as many as I could tuck away,
more like hide from the missus.’

While I respect Bandai’s offerings (of which I also purchased whatever I could), I will always yearn for more FM kits and relish/savour the ones I have. Fine Molds were the first mainstream manufacturer that treated the sci-fi community of builders with kits that were of a high level of detail and refinement, and fit and finish on par with the likes of Tamiya. Major castings weren’t amalgamated as a single blob of detail but rather treated as a blank, where each detail, whether a pipe or transmission casing, was its own part. Just like how the original ST studio models were built. Though FM kits weren’t perfect, they raised the bar for all future sci-fi kits to come. 

I’ll have to admit that the rate of growth of my stash also comes down to my foam-at-the-mouth addiction for new releases by the big T. LaFerrari, pre-ordered that one, thank you very much. New Panigale? Put me down for two please. It’s the ‘I want it, I want it now!’ syndrome. 

‘I want it, I want it now!’

Will I build them all? Who knows and who cares! I’m content in knowing that I am set for retirement.

_pL

Check out the SPRUE CUTTERS UNION facebook page to learn more about the union and other write-ups by fellow modellers. 

SPRUE CUTTERS UNION #37 – ESSENTIAL ASPECTS YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO CUT CORNERS ON DURING A BUILD

TAMIYA'S BRILLIANT 1:12 DUCATI PANIGALE GETTING THE SPA TREATMENT

Initial thoughts upon reading the topic post was to break it down into build categories: for automotive, having a glass-like finish for the body is priority or when building sci-fi subjects, adding that extra bit of scratch-built detail to bring that vehicle, that doesn’t even exist, to life/reality.

"What step do everyone of these plastic treasures receive?"

I then took a step back and asked myself "What step do everyone of these plastic treasures receive?" and then it struck me like a piece of flying styrene shrapnel. They all get the spa treatment. It doesn’t matter the subject I’m working on or the scale, but no cutters will touch a single sprue, nor a file to any plastic until everything has received a proper bath. That’s right, everything gets washed first. 

It’s actually pretty therapeutic, as I get to examine every part on every sprue. They usually get a nice soak in a warm detergent bath and then everything gets a thorough toothbrush scrub down, followed by a good rinse and then air dried. 

Seeing all the sprues laid out only increases the anticipation but it’s well worth the wait. Having a clean surface means every piece will have a stronger bond when glued and paint will adhere properly. Sometimes I’ll only wash a few sprues
at a time, so will mark those with a ‘W’. Bonus: you’ll really get to know the kit’s content and perhaps even foresee
any problems.

"You’ll really get to know the kit’s content and perhaps even foresee any problems." 

All this combined means you’ll have a smoother, and thus more enjoyable build. And isn’t that one of the reasons we partake in this hobby, for the sheer pleasure of building. Though, if the missus notices your scrubbing skills, you might
be stuck with dish duty more often. 

_pL

Check out the SPRUE CUTTERS UNION facebook page to learn more about the union and other write-ups by fellow modellers. 

A decade in the making

mr.Quality Finish a decade in the making

Is there one thing in this hobby that you are so apprehensive of attempting that it makes you put the project on the shelf for an unknown (meaning very long) amount of time while the momentum of the build evaporates? Or keeps you up at nite until you finally muster up the courage to face this obstacle, knowing that if you can pass this hurdle that the build's momentum will be restored and push you to the finish line? Anyone? I know I am not alone.

For me this hurdle comes in the form of TS-50, also known as Tamiya's Mica Blue. It is one of my favorite colors and represents everything that is Subaru racing, from the late Colin McRae to Richard Burns and their WRC rally cars. The last time I attempted this finish was on Tamiya's 2001 season Subaru WRC based on the rally in Monaco. This was over a decade ago and it did not go as smoothly as hoped. It took forever for the kit to arrive in Canada, almost a year after it's UK release. Which in the meantime the paint that I had bought from the Subaru dealership had dried up. But once I had this kit in hand, it quickly got primed and the Mica blue was decanted and airbrushed on... it was not the perfect finish but it could be worked on. Then everything had to be boxed up and put into storage while I spent a year abroad. In that time the heat/cold in the attic had caused the bag it was carefully wrapped in to leave marks on the body. I've opened that box many times over the years but never really attempted to use that beautiful blue... until now.

The victim this time was Tamiya's fantastic new kit of the Subaru BRZ and I could only build it using one color! Once again, I carefully cleaned up the body, primed and wet sanded and repeated this process until I had in my hands a perfect body shell 'in white'. I knew that if I was going to attempt another car shell, I was going to apply the paint while using a spray booth. So that was ordered and it arrived but alas there was no time to put it to use. A few months later some free time became available so I set everything up and went for it! Once again... it was not a perfect finish but the Mica blue was on (as you see in the photo above). I let the body sit and harden for a few weeks while in the meantime I rebuilt my 'plastic mojo' and made another attempt today...

...and I can happily say that I've finally achieved a quality finish on a Scoobi in the only color it ever needs to be in. It was well worth the wait! _pL

Tamiya Nissan 350Z complete!

mr.Nissan 350Z - Completed!

Okay, it has been awhile...again, but in my defense I started a new job and it's been taking a lot out of me but really happy to be coming home smelling of sawdust! Some good news is that I have finally acquired a new camera and took some shots tonight!

I present to you my completed Tamiya Nissan 350Z finished with Humbrol Metal-Cote. It was definitely a fun build thanks to Tamiya's ingenuity and great fit of parts, though somewhat simplified in areas, it is not lacking in detail. She did receive some extra attention in the form of Brembo brake decals on the front calipers & metal logos both by Hobby Design as well as flocking by KA Models for the carpeting. Nice to have another completed car sitting on the shelf.

This is my second completed build of 2012, lets see how productive I am in the coming month and a half!

Resurrection time

mr.BT-7 Resurrected

Okay, it's been awhile since I've posted anything. But I am happy to say that the Nissan 350Z was finished some time ago but have been waiting for a new camera to come in so I can post a decent pic. Sadly since then I haven't had a chance to sit at my workbench in what feels like a long time but things have settled some. And though I am a little short of my 12 models in a year, one can't argue that any number completed is better then none. I'm hoping the third victim to see completion is Tamiya's BT-7, which went together really quickly but those pesky finishing touches had put the project on hold. But over the weekend I cleared the dust off the case and made some progress: the tracks were permanently glued on, the turret top received a new coat of paint followed by weathering, while a water bucket and some homemade field blankets with straps were added to the crew's equipment. Just waiting on some fuel/ oil cans to arrive in the mail and I can have this baby wrapped up! _pL

Getting closer...

Couldn't resist seeing the chassis together with the painted body. It's definitely coming along and nearing completion... on the home stretch now :) pL

Rear three quarter

Thought I would put up another shot of mr.Body, this time of the rear three-quarter. Really love the look of this ride. The window seals were all masked off and airbrushed using Tamiya Satin Black in stages, making sure of no over spray. Easier said than done though, some over spray did occur but I was able to remove it using a tissue dampened with Tamiya Acrylic Thinner without damaging the surface. The taillights come molded in red and simply click into place for an easy clean finish and combined with the metal plated inner light cluster, makes for a very realistic rendition. _pL

Interior Is On Its Way

mr.Interior

Spent some time on the interior, which is very well detailed and comes with the option of both left and right hand drive dashboards. I had a heck of a time getting the decals for the instrument panel to sit and some did not make it intact but since the instrument binnacle is deep, it's not very noticeable. The seat color here is a little bright but I will go over it again with a slightly darker shade (meaning another masking session) and then tone it down further with an oil wash. I laid down flocking powder for the first time. Pretty easy process of painting on a layer of PVA glue and then covering this with flocking powder, in this case I used Midnight Black by KA Models. After a moment or two of drying, turn the flocked part over a piece of paper to collect whatever is excess, which can be put back in the container for the next project and bingo: a nice carpeted floor. It's a very quick process but the effect really adds a realistic touch to the interior. The interior will also sport some seat belt retainers made from styrene. _pL 

Checking mr.Stance

mr.Stance

With the clear coat on the body curing, I used this down time to work on the chassis. As previously mentioned, I had already put a color coat on the body when I first began the kit and that session included painting the chassis. The detail painting had also been carried out so it was just a matter of adding the disc brakes and exhaust.

A couple of things I wanted to get right with the 350Z was the anodized gold look on the brake calipers and the finish on the mags. Tamiya's metal finish on the wheels are impeccable but felt they were too bright. I went into my stash of Model Master paints and used Stainless Steel from their range of buffable metalizers. The tone of the Stainless Steel matched up really well with the body color when compared to reference photos. For the brake calipers, I used the same method as I did on the stanchions on the front shocks of Tamiya's Ducati 916: first a base coat of aluminium was applied and over this, a heavily thinned coat of Tamiya X-26 Clear Orange was airbrushed on until I was satisfied with the tone. I've ordered some Hobby Design Race Brake Calipers that will be used on this build to add that little bit extra. I did a quick check of the stance and as usual with Tamiya, the ride height was perfect. I did increase the rear track using homemade spacers made from styrene card as I wanted to push the wheels out to the edge of the vehicle.

With the chassis sorted, it's time to move on to the interior. _pL

Nissan 350Z - Color Coat

mr.Body having a day at the spa

Cars look great in silver and other metallic finishes, though they are tricky to reproduce, mainly because I find the size of the metallic particles to be over scale. I've had previous success with Model Master and Humbrol range of buffing paints but the former are no longer available (I do have a small stash though) as well as the finish is very delicate and must be handled with care.

This time around I broke out the Humbrol Matt Aluminum Paint 27001. This was my second attempt applying this paint to the Nissan as I had mucked up the finish the first time as well as I had missed some seamlines when prepping the body for paint. The Humbrol paint went on very smooth over the Alclad grey primer via my Badger airbrush and after a 15 minute flash off period, it was buffed to a rich aluminum finish. Satisfied, I sealed it with Tamiya Acrylic Clear shot again though the airbrush. I think the next time around I'll use the Model Master Sealer as I found the Tamiya Clear darkened the paint a shade or two. I let the body sit for a few days and then applied two coats of mr.Hobby UV Lacquer Gloss coat directly from the can. I let that rest for ten days to ensure it had fully cured and hardened. It was the first time using the UV spray and I have to admit the finish looked pretty good the UV paint did not attack the Tamiya clearcoat beneath - that was a relief! The body then received a light sanding with 2000 grit paper before employing Tamiya's range of polishing compounds, working my way up from coarse to regular and finally finish.

At this point the finish looked fantastic, with a scale metallic finish that was gleaming. When one gets to this stage in an automotive model with such success, one is pretty inspired to push forward! _pL

New Project Revival

mr.350Z

Happy to say that though there was a break in my posts, I was still keeping busy at my workbench! As I wrote in my very first post: as the weather changes, do does the modelling subject. So it was rather easy choosing my next plastic patient - out with anything requiring grime or battle damage and in with something shiny and new: mr.350Z by Tamiya. This car has always had a special place in my heart as it was penned by a fellow from my hometown of Leicester. I brought home the kit last summer, hoping it would be a quick build (famous last words) but also as a test subject for applying a realistic metallic finish for another project. In this pic I've just finished applying a few coats of Alclad's Gray Primer. It went on extremely smooth and happy that all the seem lines were successfully removed. This build is well on its way so stay tuned for in-progress posts of the build, showcasing the liberal amount of up-detailing that the 350Z was treated to! _pL